Well tool



Jan. l, 1935. R. l. HENDERSON WELL TOOL YFiled April l2. 1934 1 l o Sltrnrmgs.

fill

Patented Jan. l, 1935 WELL TooL "Ralph `I; neauerspn, oharnstomw. va. p Application Apri 12, 1934,` serial No. 720,311 i fi claims. (o1. ssl-.188)

Y Thedevice 'forming in "subject-matter of this application is a tool adapted to bei used in the freeing of `sections of well casing,- from one or more casing sectionsthat lie below. The invention aims to improve the' cutter, to provide novel means'for operating `and lcontrolling the mvel ment of the cutter, and to supply novelmeans 'for housing and mounting'tl'le parts specied.

"vIt isY within the province ofthe disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the lutility of devices of that type to which the invention 'ap` pertains.` v

Withthe' above and other objects in view,I which will appear as the descriptionproceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterl described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precisev embodiment of the invention'herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention. l. `In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 shows, in side elevation, a device constructed in accordance with the invention, parts being' in. elevation;

Fig. 2` is a longitudinal vsection withl parts in elevatiomthe View showing the tool as it will'appear when the cutter is retracted;

Fig. Blis a `View similar vto Fig. 2, but showing theA cutter in a position which it will appear when thexcutter `is operative;

4 is abottom plan view ofthe device.

The numeral .1 marksV the upper-member of a Well casingl" The numeral 2'designates a lower member of the well casing. The casing sections I, and 2 are connected by a threaded coupling 3. There is a space 4, within the coupling 3, between the ends ofthe casingsections land 2. The lower end of the upper casingsection 1 forms a shoulder' withinthe couplingSL" The upper end of thelowerlcasing 'section 2 forms a shoulder 6 within the coupling 3. l

The problem involved is to provide a means, actuated by downwardly-operating jai-s, for cuttingawayenough of the threads of the lower casing section-2 so that the hold of the coupling 3` on the lower casing section Z'may be weakened sunciently so that the uppercasng section 1 and sectie-nsf above 'it (not shown) may be Ypulled out ofthe well. l

A preferredform of tool for accomplishing the result outlined is shown in the drawing. It embodies a cylindrical body 7 which may be decreased in diameter by steps, toward its upper end. On its upper end, the body 7 has a projec-1 `tliecasing, the body securing elements 22.

tion 8, connected bythreading or otherwise-with thepart 9 whereby the tool is lowered and raised. To facilitate the introduction of` the body '7? into shown at'lO. i

` The body 7 is supplied with a s'iderecessll, the end walls of which arejinclined,A` as shown at 12. The body 7 has a'rebate 14 at thev inner end of the side recess 1`1'. A transverse chamber is formed in the body'7 and communicates at one'side with the-rebate 14; AThe bodyv 7 basan i internal rinclined surface 16, forming the-t lower wall of the chamber 15. In its outer edgeth is tapered at itslower end,fas l body 7 is provided with a longitudinal slot '17.

The slot 17 opens at its upper end into the upper part of the chamber 15. The slot 17 is narrower than the chamber 15.` A rounded seat 1,3; is formed in the body 'l andopens into the Vslot 17. A chip-passage 50 extends from the lower end of the slot 17 downwardly throughthe lower end of thebody 17 and opens outwardly through the side of the body. Theslot 17 has a widened lower portion 19, below the seat 18. Thebody 7 is provided with an upwardly extended stop 20 at Vthe bottom and atxthelower portion of the part 19 of the slot 17. A cover plate 21 nts in the rebate 14.` The cover plate 21 is held on theA body7 by The heads of the secur` ing elements 22 are located in the side recess 11. This prevents the heads of the securing elements 22 from catching on anything, as the tool is raised or lowered.` The cover plate 21 has a thickened portion 23 forming theouter wallof the slot i'zlinthebodyv. l

l The numeral 24 designates'a retainer. The re tainer is located in the chamberl. At Vone end,

, and on its upper edge, the retainer is beveled as shown at 25. The bevelling at 25 permits the re' tainer 24 to be swung from the position of4 Fig. 2

tothe position of Fig. 3'. A pivot element 2.6 con` nects the retainer 24 to theY body 7, for swinging movement parallel to the axis of the body. There is a notch 27 in the lower edge of the retainer 24below its bevelled end 25. The retainer 2,4 has a bore 50 in one end. A combined abutment and guide 33 is threaded into the retainer 24, at the outer end of the bore 50. A headed latch 134 slidesinthe guide 33. vThe latch 34i ispressed. outwardly by a compression spring 35, located the bore 50.' The upper surface 36 of the latch 34 isparallel to the axis ofthe'latchrthelatcli.' preferably `being rectangular in cross section.` `At` its outer end, the latch `34 is bevelled downwardly and inwardly, as shown at 37.

' I'he numeral 38 marks a cutter extended 1 end of the upper casing section 1.

lengthwise of the body 7. The cutter 38 is located in the longitudinal slot 17 of the body 7, and in the widened portion 19 of the slot. The cutter 38 is providedat its lower end with an outwardly and downwardly extended bit 42. On its rear edge, the cutter 38 is provided with a rounded extension 41. The extension 41 has a close t in the seat 18 of the body 7. A pivot element 39 connects the cutter 38, intermediate its ends, vwith the body 7 and with the cover plate 21. The hole 40 in the cutter 38, which receives the pivot element 39, is of greater diameter than the pivot element. cutter 38 is in the working position of Fig. 3, the extension 41 onfthe cutter 38 takes most of the strain oif the pivot element 39. The y. cutter 38 is provided at its lower end with a foot 43. The

foot 43 works back and forth in the lower part 194 of the slot 17, behind the stop 20. The cutter 38 is supplied at its upper end with a finger 44. The nger 44 cooperates with the retainer 24, in a way which will be explained hereinafter.

Anactuator is provided, for swinging'the cutter 38 from the inoperative position of Fig. 2 to the operative position of Fig. 3. This actuator may be a plunger 45 mounted to slide in the body 7, at right angles to the axis of the body and entering the part 19 of the slot 17. One end of the plunger-45 bears against the inner edge of the cutter 38, below the Divot element 39. The opposite end of the plunger45 has an enlarged head 46. The head 46 is located 4in a transverse passager47 in the body 7. The head 46 stops the forward movement of the plunger 45, under the *action of a compression spring48. The compression spring 48 is located in the passage 47, between the head 46 of the plunger 45 and an abutment 49, threaded into the body 7 at the outer end of the passage 47.

. In practical operation, the cutter 38 is swung outwardly at its upper end, by hand, thereby retracting the bit 42 of the cutter. The retainer 34 is swung to a horizontal position and abuts against the body 7 at the top of the chamber 15. The spring 48 presses the plunger 45'inwardly against thelower end of the cutter 38. The finger` 44 of the cutter 38 is pressed against the end of the retainer 24. n I

The device is lowered into the well tubing. The bevelled end 37 of the latch 34 Vrides over the shoulder 6 at the upper end of the lower tubing section 2, thespring 35 being compressed. The tool is raised from the position of Fig. 2 tothe position of Fig. 3. Before the tool gets to the position of Fig. 3, the spring 35 pushes theflatch 34 outwardly into the space v4 between the ends of the sections land 2.-y The upper edge;36 of the latch 34 engages the shoulder 5 atvthe lower This swings the outer end of the retainer 24 downwardly, and the inner end of the retainer is swungupwardly,v out of engagement with the nger 44 of the cutter 38. 'Ihe spring 48 and the plunger 45 swing thel lower end of the cutter 38 outwardly, to dispose the cutter bit 42 above the lower end ofthe lower casing section 1. Under the impulse ofthe spring 48 and the'plunger 45, the finger 44`of the cutter 38 swings inwardly to the positionof Fig. 3. As the finger 44 rides along the lower edge of the retainer 24, the retainer is swung downwardly against the inclined surface 16 of the body 7. The upper extremity of the linger 44 is Therefore, when the lthusfreed ndingan exit through the chip-passage 50. The hold of the coupling 3 on the lower casing section 2 thus is weakened suiiciently so that the upper casing section 1 and parts above it can be separated from the lower section 2 and the upper section 1 and parts thereabove may be pulled out of the well.

lPractically all tools of the class described work on the jar-up principle, such an operation re- 'sulting in complications so well-known to well drillers that they need not be enumerated here. The tool shown and described in rthis application is asimple jar-down structure, comprising few parts, and well adapted to stand the rough use to which it is necessarily subjected.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: s

1. A tool of the class described, comprising -a body, a cutter extended longitudinally of the body vand having a bit near its lower end,'means vfor fulcrurning the cutter intermediate its ends-,on

the body, a retainer disposed transversely of the body and engageable at one end with the upper end of the cutter, to holdthe lower end Aof the cutter and the bit retracted, means for fulcruming the retainer intermediate its ends on the body, a yieldably advanced latch movably mounted on the opposite end of the retainer and constituting casing engaging means for tilting the latch and releasing the cutter, and means for moving the lower end of the cutter and the bit outwardly, after the cutter has been released as aforesaid.

2. A tool of the class described, constructed as set forth in claim 1, and further characterized by the fact that the upper end of the cutter moves along the under edge of the retainer, at the firstspeciled end of the retainer, to swing the lastspecied end of the retainer downwardly, when the cutter is moved outwardly at its lower end.

3. A device ofthe class described, constructed as set forth in claim 1, and wherein the means for moving the lower end of the cutter and the bit outwardly comprise a plunger slidable in the body and engagingthe inner edge of the cutter, below the means for fulcruming the cutter, spring means for advancingl th'e plunger, and an abutment on the body, for said spring means.

4. A device of the class described, constructed as set forth in claim 1, and wherein the means for fulcruming the cutter intermediate its ends comprises a seat in the body, an extension onzthe rear edge of the cutter and engaged in the seat, and a pivot element connecting the cutter with the body, the cutter having an opening for the reception of the pivot element, and the opening being of greater diameter than the pivot element, thereby throwing practically all of the strain on the extension and on the seat, when the cutter is in working position.

RALPH I. HENDERSON. 

